


Next to me

by compakat (orphan_account)



Category: TharnType the Series (TV), เกลียดนักมาเป็นที่รักกันซะดีๆ | TharnType: The Series (TV) RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Sexuality Crisis
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2020-06-05
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:41:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24454591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/compakat
Summary: Gulf has a knack for making decisions on a whim, which has led to pretty poor life choices so far. It's all good though, Mew is always there to keep him in check.
Relationships: Mew Suppasit Jongcheveevat/Gulf Kanawut Traipipattanapong, Tharn Thara Kirigun/Type Thiwat Phawattakun
Comments: 8
Kudos: 68





	1. khả k̄hụ̂n t̂n

**Author's Note:**

> First MewGulf fic, kinda excited and nervous.

Mew and Gulf met each other when they were fourteen years old. The memory was blurry inside Mew's mind, but he remembered bits of their first meeting. Shifting to a new city had become a routine for Mew at some point in his life and he had gotten accustomed to meeting new people, keeping a reminder to himself that he's going to leave them soon enough. His father kept taking different positions and applying for transfers in the trading center he worked with to get his family closer to the big cities, and after four years of moving at odd times, they were in New York City.

It had taken Mew quite a while to understand that they weren't going to move after this. This was it; this was what they were working towards and he could finally make friends without feeling scared of being alone once again. His mom had held his hand and rubbed his fingers gently while conveying the news to him when they were traveling to their new apartment in his father's Toyota Innova Crysta.

He smiled at her. Everything was going to get better after this.

Growing up, Mew had lived in many cities and met different kinds of people. He had gone to different schools and studied in different ways, ate different kinds of food, and developed different habits from wherever he lived next. Being of Thai descent, he had faced quite a bit of racism too. But he wasn't going to focus on the negative aspects of his life for now. He was in a new city, and he was here to stay.

The car pulled up in front of a bungalow and Mew peeked out of the window. "We're not going to live in an apartment?" He asked, a bit shocked since they have always lived in an apartment. It was strange to see a bungalow becoming his forever home now. "Your father's friend got him a good deal here. It's a Thai majority neighborhood, so it'll be easy to settle down quicker." His mother answered before telling him to grab his backpack and head inside. The movers had already brought in most of their stuff, and his father had hurried inside the moment they got there, much more excited than him or his mother.

The mid-century style bungalow was fairly pleasant, much nicer than any place they had lived in before. For years Mew had complained about the constant moving, but if he got to live here, in the end, it didn't turn out so bad after all. He was quick to check out his room, most of the room furniture was yet to be bought as his mother had promised to set it up according to his preferences. He jumped on the king-sized bed with the foam mattress, staring at the white ceiling and taking in a deep breath. He already felt good about this.

He could hear faint noises coming from outside. Most of it was blocked off as his windows were closed. Mew got into a sitting position and stared at the window on the right side of his bed. He blinked a couple of times and realized he had a clear view of a boy outside, running around in circles. He walked towards the unusual scene, placing a hand on the glass and staring at the kid who looked around his age, pacing around like he was kicking a soccer ball. He couldn't see that guy's feet as a fence made of bushes covered it, but he seemed like the neighbor's kid.

The guy stopped abruptly and turned to his own house. He leaned down and picked something up, which Mew soon identified as a soccer ball, and threw it at a window by the porch. The sound of the glass shattering was loud enough for him to hear clearly with his closed window. A lady walked out of the main door and seemed to be screaming at the guy who turned his back to her and walked out of the property itself. The lady seemed to be his mother, who was wearing a stained apron and had a huge frown on her face. She rushed back inside, and Mew lost track of the guy. He smiled to himself, walking back to join his parents in the living room.

It was going to be fun, he thought.

18-year-old Mew still couldn't forget that day. His first impression of Gulf was chaotic, and for a moment he even wondered if he should be friends with a person that hot-tempered. He couldn't imagine breaking his own house's window over a silly argument. He doesn't remember it all, but when his family met Gulf's family, they instantly clicked. Unlike him, Gulf was born in Thailand and moved here at the age of five. He still had a bit of Thai accent, and Mew found it strangely attractive.

"I saw you break your window yesterday." Mew had said when their parents let them play outside while they talked inside. Gulf looked a bit taken aback like he was thinking of what to say that would seem like a logical answer. "You're pretty cool," Mew added before Gulf could say anything. His words made the other boy laugh unexpectedly.  
He couldn't forget that laugh. There are few people he had met that had a genuinely beautiful smile plus an addictive laugh. Mew couldn't help but smile along, and he just knew they'd be friends fine enough.

Much to his dismay, he and Gulf did not spend much of high school together. The main reason being that they went to different schools. While Mew went to a school close-by, Gulf used to go to a school much further away which specialized in Economics and Medical Sciences, which his parents wanted him to study later in college. It didn't take a month of knowing each other for Gulf to admit that he hated it there, and he couldn't wait to get away from his parents for once and for all.

Mew and Gulf were the kinds of friends that lived close but had their own separate lives. They knew each other, but they didn't know each other. Mew knew about Gulf's embarrassing childhood stories but he doesn't know what kind of food Gulf likes. They had a weird kind of balance in their friendship, but despite not knowing much about each other, they had managed to maintain a good relationship until the end of high school.

"What are you going to do after high school?" Gulf had asked when they were playing videogames at Mew's house. Mew raised an eyebrow at him before concentrating back on the game. "I'm not sure. I think I'll study psychology or something in humanities while I figure things out. What about you?" He said, beating Gulf once again in Mario Kart. Gulf swore under his breath before glaring at Mew.

"Unfair. I was way better than you when we met, how the hell are you better at me in everything now? And you buffed up a lot."

Mew grinned.

"Maybe if you were up for lifting weights every day like me, you would be as buff too."

"No thanks," Gulf scoffed. "I had enough shit to do for school every day. Working out on top of that? That's just mental suicide. I bet girls die to wrap their arms around your biceps though. Hey, wait. You got a girlfriend?"

Mew tensed up at that. "Not really."

"Strange. You didn't like anyone in school?"

"I did," Mew admitted.

"She rejected you?"

"No."

"Okay..." Gulf muttered. "I'm confused."

Mew laughed and shook his head. "Forget about it. I've had crushes and dated some people but I've never been in a relationship. What about you?"

Gulf nodded at his words while putting his controller away and grabbing a can of beer. "You know last Christmas when we met, I was seeing this girl?" He opened the can and took a big sip. Mew merely hummed positively in response. "Yeah well, that didn't end well. She was too clingy, it crept me out. Plus, she was asking me to choose her college too, you know she was trying to apply for colleges in Europe? Like hell, my parents would let me get out of this country. Much less move around for a girl."

Mew laughed lightly at that. "You just have a stroke of bad luck with girls."

"I do," Gulf said, taking another sip. "Maybe I should try something with guys."

Mew didn't respond to that, just stared curiously at Gulf. I wonder if this would be a bad time to reveal that I am gay.

"You're gay?"

Mew blinked. Shit, did I say it out loud?

"Yes." Gulf chuckled. "Funny how you can beat me at a game while drunk but can't keep your thoughts in your head. You're something else, Suppasit."

Mew didn't know what to say, he just came out to his best friend while drunk.

"To be honest," Gulf whispered, leaning a bit closer to Mew. The latter's breath hitched, inching away from his touch but then, Gulf placed his hand on his thigh. "I did have a feeling you might be into guys."

"What gave it away?"

"I'll tell you when you're not drunk." Gulf giggled, moving away from his friend before resuming the game. Mew didn't say anything, but despite being drunk, those words stayed in his mind till the next morning.

Gulf didn’t meet him for a while after that. They graduated from their respective high schools, and right after dinner that day, Gulf was threatening to break his window if he didn’t let him in through it in ten seconds. Mew wanted to smack him for trying to break into his house at 1 in the morning but rushed to let him inside anyway. 

"What the fuck, Gulf? You know how paranoid my mom is, if she heard you, she'd wake up the whole neighborhood." Mew muttered, smacking Gulf's head slightly. Gulf grinned sheepishly at that, grabbing Mew's arm in return. "Forget about that. Tomorrow is the dorm signing, Mew. Let's sign up for a room together."

Mew stared at Gulf who had a bright smile on his face.

"B-"

"I know," Gulf groaned, dragging his arm towards the bed and they both sat down in silence for a moment. "I told my parents that I'd study Economics as I promised them if I got to go to the same University as you. My dad was a bit mad, but he knew it'd be better than me not going to college at all. So come on, let's sign up together."

"Hold up." Mew sighed. "Why didn't you tell me before that you were trying to get into the same university?"

"It never came up. Plus, we barely talked about this topic."

"Why do you wanna be in the same University as me?"

"Your University is in another state." Gulf groaned. "Not like I was going to get into Cornell anyway. Come on, think about it. We'd have so much fun in San Fran together."  
Mew thought about it for a while, letting Gulf nudge against his shoulder repeatedly. "So basically," He turned to look at his best friend. "You used my name as an excuse to get away from your parents."

"Yes and no." Gulf cleared it out, folding his hands in front of his chest. "You should realize that I like spending time with you. I don't always think about just myself here. Come on, don't be a dick now."

"Fine, fine," Mew chuckled, pulling Gulf into a chokehold. "You little shit, let's live together then."

Note: Mew's first mistake was allowing that to happen.


	2. nùeng

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gulf and Mew realize that they don't know each other as well as they thought they did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm used to writing my fanfics in a flow. There's no specific direction where it's headed. It's kind of fun, isn't it?

A month had passed since Mew and Gulf started living together. After their discussion on the night before joint-dorm fiasco, they decided to live off-campus with the help of their university’s customer relations team. They found a suitable apartment with two bedrooms, bit on the pricey end but it was pretty close to the campus. Everything was going well for the two when they’d just moved in, discussed a bit about their amenities and schedules the following day itself. 

The problem began in the second week. Mew spent most of his evening in the university as he was being guided by one of the members from the honors society for students excelling in Psychology and volunteering in the various LGBT Caucus activities. He spent most of his evening studying and doing extracurricular activities and had to attend a two-hour long session with Florence, a member of the honors society for students excelling in psychology, every other day. To relieve himself from the daily stress and pressure to perform well, he’d spend his time in the library reading random novels that the Librarian would recommend to him along with his course books. 

It was safe to say that Mew was used to not coming back home until 1 am. His classes started in the afternoon and ended in the evening, so most of his free time was used up in the morning. Gulf was well-aware of this situation. At times Mew would stay out until even 2 am or 3 am. It wasn’t surprising to see him passed out on the couch instead of his bed whenever Gulf would walk out of his room in the early morning.

Mew had known Gulf for years now. Even though they didn’t talk every day, they both knew a lot of things about each other, they both understood each other in a way without exchanging words. It’s a Friday evening when Mew is coming back home early for once. It’s barely nine when he puts his keys in and walks through the front door, instantly realizing something wasn’t just quite right. The lights were on which meant Gulf was already home. He was about to knock on Gulf’s door when he heard somebody slam against it. He gasped at the sudden movement but the person on the other side was way louder than him. 

There was a woman in there. Her whines were prominently high, and it didn’t take him a while to figure out what was going on. Mew took a step back and went back to his room, closing the door slowly. From everything they had discussed when they had moved in, he realized that they never discussed this. How fucking stupid? Truly the main thing people do in college when they’re finally away from their parents is to enjoy their freedom to the fullest. Mew can’t blame Gulf for bringing in a girl. He was so busy studying and focusing on academics itself that he forgot about the things he could do, how much he could explore if he just let himself go. 

He put on his earphones and laid on his bed, trying to not imagine the fact that his friend was banging a girl right next door. He stared at the ceiling and thought about the ways they both could approach this situation and talk about it without everything getting weird, and just like that, he had fallen asleep. 

Mew woke up with a hypnic jerk. He blinked a couple of times before sitting upright in his bed and grabbing his phone to check the time.

11:50pm.

He stretched his arms before noticing a bright green note on his study table. When he walked towards it, he found a small bakery box next to the note. He grabbed the note and read it, written in Gulf’s awful handwriting. 

[Hi Mew, I don’t know when you got back home but I’m sorry if you heard anything and it made you feel uncomfortable. I thought about waking you up but it was more enjoyable to take pictures of your drooling mouth. I’ll stop being a little bitch, alright, here’s a little treat I got for you so don’t give me an earful the next morning over this situation. It’s a chocolate peppermint cupcake. Those disgusting ones that you like. Love u.]

Mew chuckled at that, putting it aside before taking the box and opening it. It was indeed a chocolate peppermint cupcake, the disgusting one that Mew loved. He took a bite of it before walking out of his room, directly into the kitchen. Even though he was used to sleeping whenever Gulf left for his morning classes, tomorrow he was going to be awake. It was about time they’ve had a proper conversation over breakfast. Also, about time that Mew bothered with breakfast. Gulf could be a little annoying short-tempered bitch, but he was also just as caring and sweet. Mew was planning on making him a breakfast he wouldn’t skip for the world. 

xxx.

Gulf was used to waking up at around six in the morning every day. His body had gotten accustomed to this time and he didn’t even need an alarm to get up these days. Though he wondered if he’s still dreaming when he grabs a bottle of juice from the refrigerator, because Mew was right there, making… Pancakes. “Right, this is a weird dream,” Gulf muttered. Mew glanced at him before rolling his eyes. “Oh, come on, I can wake up early too. It’s not like I always sleep in late.” Mew groaned. Gulf looked at him like he’s still not sure if this is happening in real life or if he’s still in one of his dream realms. A kick from Mew on his ass brought him back to reality, and this was it. 

“Holy shit,” Gulf beamed. “You’re awake. You’re making pancakes. I smell blueberries too.”

Mew grinned. “Indeed. I know you love blueberry pancakes.”

Gulf hummed an unfamiliar tune, walking closer to Mew and looking at the perfectly cooked pancakes. “Could it be…” He started in a teasing manner, and Mew already knows something bad is gonna come out of his mouth. “That hearing me bang that girl aroused you so much you want a piece of this? You trying to impress me now?” Gulf chortled. 

“Oh please.” Mew laughed. “I barely heard her. I heard somebody bang against your wall so I thought you were trying to murder somebody, so I left you alone. Are you sure she was into it? I barely heard her voice.”

Gulf scoffed, walking away from him and towards their dining table, sitting down on the chair and looking at his roommate again. “She was loud, okay. We hadn’t even started anything when I had her by the door.” Mew just chuckled in response, not wanting to hurt Gulf’s pride any longer than what could be deemed as a safe zone. “Why are you making blueberry pancakes?” Gulf probed after a moment of silence.

“I feel like we’ve not talked in a while. We live together but we rarely see each other. I used to see you more when we were neighbors.”

“I know. I can see it too.” Gulf conferred. “Our schedules are different. I’m thinking of joining a social club soon though, maybe we’ll both be coming back late then.”

“Will that be okay with your morning class?” Mew questioned, grabbing a plate and placing a handful of pancakes on it, coating it generously with maple syrup before handing it over to Gulf. 

“I only have morning classes four days a week. I can deal with it.” Gulf grinned wide before grabbing a fork and spoon. “Bon Appetit.”

“So, you’re not gonna-” Mew started but Gulf had already started eating. “-wait for me to get my plate too. Alright.”

“I’m sorry!” Gulf spluttered, making pancake crumbs go all around the table from his mouth. “It’s just so good. Reminds me of mom’s pancakes. I keep forgetting what a good cook you are.”

Mew sat down opposite to him on the table with his plate and watches him eat happily for a bit. Gulf doesn’t seem to mind the attention or be bothered by it in the slightest, his whole concentration was indeed only on the food itself. After a moment, Mew started taking small bites of the food too, content with the fact that his cooking was appreciated once again. Gulf had always been generous with compliments when it comes to cooking. He said he’s grateful to every good cook since he couldn’t be bothered to cook for himself. 

“You can bring people around too, you know. Just give me a heads up so I can be somewhere else.” Gulf interjected out of nowhere. Mew was taken aback by the sudden declaration before he smiles at his friend. “That’s nice, but I don’t have anybody that I want to bring home.” Mew pretended to pule. 

Gulf looked at him directly after he uttered those words. “Are you saying that somebody as good looking as you… does not have an eye on anybody? There are thousands of people here.” 

“I’d think about it if I had a chance to look at anybody other than Florence or my pending assignments.” Mew retorted. Gulf’s eyes light up at the mention of a certain somebody. “She’s the girl helping you out with your cult of intelligent brain readers, right?”

“First of all, psychologists are not brain readers-” Mew began but decided to not explain that topic further as Gulf was more interested in the woman mentioned. “She’s been nice to me so far.” 

“I’ve seen her running track on the field a few times.” Gulf sighed, eyes wandering off like he was imagining it right now. Florence was a beautiful woman, Mew had to admit that. She had long black hair which was dyed lilac at the roots, piercing green eyes, and an athlete’s build. “Wow, you’re a pervert huh? You watch women run instead of practicing your whack soccer skills.” Mew snorted. 

Gulf looked bewildered at that accusation. “You’ve barely seen me play! What do you know about my soccer skills? I’ve been on every soccer team in school since I was seven!”

“Okay, okay, I’m just messing with you. I’ve not seen you play in any official matches but I’ve seen you play in your backyard. You look like you’re contemplating life decisions whenever you’re practicing alone.” 

Gulf finished his last piece of the pancake before making eye contact with Mew. “You’ve been watching me play from your room then?” He asked boldly. Mew flushed at the sudden jab before restoring his composure and smirking at Gulf. “Of course. How can I not look when you wake me up every other morning by being incessantly loud?”

They kept bickering until Gulf had to leave for his classes. Mew felt a strange force of warmth crawl around his body when they were done with their conversation. Even though they moved together to get away from their parents, it was his chance to get to know his childhood friend better. Maybe he’s a bit different than what he had imagined in his head for so long. 

xxx.

Gulf got back home at around eight in the evening that day. As usual, Mew wasn’t at home. Even though Mew didn’t have classes on Saturday like Gulf, he spent most of his time volunteering with the clubs he’s affiliated to or spending time with Florence. If he didn’t already know that Mew was gay, he would’ve suspected of them dating but it was astonishing to know how much time he spent working hard every single day. Other than that, Gulf was also aware Mew liked to hit the gym on the weekends to relieve stress. He couldn’t relate, he got most of his workout done on the field itself. 

He lounged in the living room, turning on the television and working on his assignments on the side. After working on it for almost two hours with the useless background music of some soap opera going on the television, he turned it off and closed his laptop. He decided to head in the shower and after that, he took a well-needed nap. His midterms were getting closer each passing day and he could barely concentrate on his studies for two hours without getting a headache. Even though he wasn’t one of the brightest students, he did just well enough to let his professors know that he understood what Economics even meant. 

It was around 1 am when Gulf opened his eyes. His throat felt itchy, eliciting a cough while he glanced around his room for a water bottle. He rubbed his temples with his index fingers before heading out of his room. The lights were off, Mew was home. Usually, at this hour he’d catch him lounging in the kitchen, trying to get something to eat or working on his laptop in front of the television. 

His breath hitched when he saw Mew in the kitchen. It wouldn’t have been an unusual sight if the lights were on and his roommate was brewing something on the stove. But it wasn’t the case, it was far different from what he’s used to witnessing. There stood Mew, gripping the edges of the counter roughly while another man ravished his mouth, kissing so loud that Gulf could hear them from a significant distance. It’s like his feet were frozen on the ground, and he didn’t know how to react to this situation. 

“Shit, hold-” Mew groaned against the stranger’s lips, pushing him away. His eyes instantly locked with Gulf’s who was staring at them with wide eyes. There was complete silence for a moment as they looked at each other. Years of knowing one another and they felt like strangers in situations like these. The stranger seemed confused and irritated but he let go of Mew’s shirt, stepping away from him. “Hey, you said-” The guy started but Mew cut him off. “Gulf, I’m sorry, he’s just-”

“It’s fine!” Gulf answered in a high-pitched tone. He visibly cringed at his voice before shaking his head. “I was just around to get some water. You can uh, continue.” He laughed awkwardly and hurried towards the refrigerator, grabbing a bottle of chilled water before running back to his room. The stranger seemed surprised to see him but offered him a frivolous smile when he glanced at him. Gulf felt strange when he sat down on his bed and gulped the water down his throat. 

He had never seen Mew being intimate like this with anybody. It was a normal reaction in his eyes. He slapped his cheeks with both his hands, wincing as he shook his head. “Don’t be fucking awkward, Gulf. It’s your childhood friend, of course, it’d feel a little weird to see another man feeling him up in the middle of our kitchen.” He later chuckled to himself at the words ‘our kitchen’. He never thought he and Mew would be living together. Here they were though. 

After a moment of recollecting himself, he frowned deeply. He blinked a couple of times before shrieking and running outside the room. A thought hit him like a bolt of lightning and he had to act upon it. Mew and the stranger were still there, but they weren’t making out anymore. They seemed to be talking, but they stopped the moment they saw Gulf running towards them. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Gulf panted, holding his knees and recollecting his breath. “But you can’t fuck in the kitchen. That’s off-limits, Mew.”

He looked up to them and they both looked flustered. “Hey, uh...” The stranger started, smiling at Gulf. “Don’t worry about it. I was just here to grab some notes, we weren’t planning on fucking. Or anything like that.” The guy seemed nervous as he walked off, not sparing Mew a second glance when he left their apartment. Gulf looked confused at the interaction, his eyes meeting Mew’s. 

“He’s a classmate, nothing else,” Mew said, avoiding his eyes instantly. His lips were red and swollen, and a reminder of what had just happened flashed in Gulf’s mind. “Oh,” Gulf whispered. “I’m sorry, still. I know I must have ruined the mood.”

“No, no,” Mew laughed, shaking his head. “We were not going to do anything, Gulf. It was just, something at the moment I guess.” He walked closer to Gulf and patted his head. “Your hair is a mess; how do you get women looking like that?”

Gulf’s regret about ruining things for Mew instantly vanished at that. “Oh, excuse me.” He scoffed. “I’m not trying to get girls at 1 am. But I’ll let you know that girls dig my messy hair. I don’t regret scaring off your potential hook-up now.”

“I don’t think you scared him.” Mew grinned. “You feel bad?”

“I’m not heartless, you know.” Gulf sighed, finally looking at Mew. “I’ve never seen you with anyone, and the first time I do, I end up interrupting it in an awkward fucking manner.”

Mew placed a hand on Gulf’s shoulder, squeezing it lightly. “Calm down, Gulf. You did not screw anything. I would’ve stopped him anyway.” 

“Are you sure?” 

“Yeah, I’m sure.” Mew stepped closer, now both of his hands were on each of Gulf’s shoulders. “He’s not my type. I prefer somebody a bit leaner and cuter, like you.”

It’s unexpected, Mew’s words. Gulf took a moment to register them in his mind, and suddenly the intensity in his roommate’s eyes seemed way higher than necessary. He wondered if Mew would laugh if he didn’t say anything, he didn’t know what was the right response to this kind of thing. Flirting with his friends was something he had done before, but they were all women. He has joked around with his male friends, but none of them were like Mew. He doesn’t know any of his friends as long as he’s known Mew. Something like that coming from a person like him was unexpected. 

“You little shit,” Gulf pushed his chest, making Mew back off of him. “That guy made you horny and you’re hitting on me? Hey, I like you but call me when you get some boobs.” He laughed off awkwardly before turning around and walking towards his room. He noticed a smile on Mew’s face, but his friend didn’t reply to his joke. He didn’t say anything. A strange feeling went down his spine when he closed the door. 

Nobody had flirted with him so blatantly. Mew called him his type so easily like it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

That night he went to sleep with a significant amount of blood rising in his ears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 33 kudos on the prologue?!!??!! Holy shit, I never expected this. Thank you if you're reading this, engagement with readers is what keeps me motivated. Please leave a comment and share your thoughts, I look forward to any kind of criticism.


End file.
